Feature Request ... Block editing of first post in thread

This is a discussion on Feature Request ... Block editing of first post in thread within the General Discussions forums, part of the Community Boards category; @Webmaster...
Is there any way to block people from editing the first post in a thread?
In the last few ...

Feature Request ... Block editing of first post in thread

Is there any way to block people from editing the first post in a thread?

In the last few days we've had several people either empty their first message or re-edit it with their "final version" code. Salem has restored some of it, but some of it is just gone.

When a person asks a question, gets their answers then empties the first message they effectively render that thread "dead weight" as any ensuing conversation no longer has context.

When a person gets their code working then updates that first message the rest of the conversation appears nonsensical. Anyone looking at that thread will simply wonder what the heck we were talking about.

Whoops, I voted no when I meant to vote yes here. Oh well. And that can't be edited, lol.

Strongly disagree with this, as it is again the kind of rule that involves penalizing everyone because of the misbehavior of a few. By doing, that, you are essentially (and ironically) giving control over to the few who misbehave. From then on, if someone wants a new rule for some reason (eg: in order to penalize everyone else), all they have to do is come up with a way of abusing some potential and then do until they get enough attention.

I edit most of my posts for one reason or another, usually within the first ten minutes, but sometimes later. I don't edit significant things out tho, and am annoyed by the behavior CommonTater describes because I think even after a problem is solved, the material should remain for posterity.

The first post in a thread is particularly important and can be more difficult to write than a reply. I don't think we should discourage people from refining their thoughts by making editing impossible. I have seen forums where that is a policy and I doubt the few problems it solved make up for the many problems it created.

So I think a better idea would be to make a rule against the removal of significant material, and people who observe such and are upset by it can let a mod know, and things can be resolved on a case by case basis.

Originally Posted by CommonTater

the rest of the conversation appears nonsensical. Anyone looking at that thread will simply wonder what the heck we were talking about.

Just as an observation Tater, I have witnessed you mass delete your posts during a discussion. I hope you don't make that a habit, as -- regardless of the motivation -- it amounts to the same thing that you find irritating in others.

Just as an observation Tater, I have witnessed you mass delete your posts during a discussion. I hope you don't make that a habit, as -- regardless of the motivation -- it amounts to the same thing that you find irritating in others.

I would not do so without reason... There have been times I got off on the wring tangent and then when I realized it, deleted the posts so that the conversation could continue in the right direction. Other times I've deleted messages to avoid someone who's obviously looking for a fight. However; I would never delete anything without good reasons...

Of course, and there are good reasons to edit an OP, so it should not be banned.

BTW, the good reasons you listed don't sound right to me:

Originally Posted by CommonTater

There have been times I got off on the wring tangent and then when I realized it, deleted the posts so that the conversation could continue in the right direction.

Ah, so after recognizing you have de-railed a thread, you figure the best thing to do is de-rail it even further by deleting a bunch of posts, creating a string of apparent nonsense reactions to the posts you deleted. That's not confusing at all -- good thinking.

Maybe an apology would be more appropriate. We all make mistakes, but we don't all sweep the pieces under the rug afterward.

Other times I've deleted messages to avoid someone who's obviously looking for a fight.

How someone reacts to your posts is not your responsibility, and you are not obliged to react to them either. Innocent people do not need to hide evidence, and deleting your posts strongly implies to me that it was not about "someone looking for a fight", but about someone with potentially legitimate criticism of what you have posted.

I deduce from this that you have a tendency to act before you think. Nobody is perfect. But while choosing to delete posts may mitigate some of your embarrassment, I do not think it is a responsible way of dealing with your problem.

Then you should vote Yes... people should be able to edit the first post.
The text descriptions were just a bit of humour... you have No, Yes, and Don't Care options to choose from.

Yes I know, I attempted to give some background to my choice with some humor as well. But, perhaps it could be tweaked to only affect users with < x posts, which could probably be pretty low, say 10 or so.

The problem with blocking edits completely is that they can't go back and add code tags or indentation or whatever - they would have to have a separate post for that.

How about a [+] Show Edits expander that you can click to see revisions of the main post in the thread or something? I don't know. It's bad when they just go back and completely remove the code from the first post. But sometimes they need to fix indentation and such.

The problem with blocking edits completely is that they can't go back and add code tags or indentation or whatever

Hmmm. Something to consider.

How about a [+] Show Edits expander that you can click to see revisions of the main post in the thread or something?

Like VCS's or wikis? That would be great, but I doubt VB can facilitate this. Even if it could, stuff like that adds significant overhead in terms of both storage space and CPU time for each edit. Then no one will even look at the record for 99% of posts.

Like VCS's or wikis? That would be great, but I doubt VB can facilitate this. Even if it could, stuff like that adds significant overhead in terms of both storage space and CPU time for each edit. Then no one will even look at the record for 99% of posts.

O_o

What we really need is a "Reclaim" feature for moderators. Same great taste as a perpetual edit stack but less filling.